William Gay Deserves Some Credit For The Steelers First Takeaway Of The Season

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay has not received enough credit for his play thus far this season and in reality, he deserves a little bit of credit for the first defensive takeaway of the year that was registered Sunday against the New York Jets by safety Ryan Clark.

On the play, as Tunch Ilkin pointed out on Monday, Jets tight end Konrad Reuland goes in motion to Gay’s side and the veteran cornerback does a great job of jamming off the line of scrimmage and inside the five yard legal area. This jam in turn throws off the timing of the entire play and allows Clark to make the easy interception as a result.

Gay, who started the game in place of Cortez Allen, has been thrown at 30 times so far this season and allowed just 19 completions for a total of 161 yards. He has yet to allow a touchdown and has defensed two passes and made 19 total tackles to go along with one forced fumble.

For all the abuse that Gay takes, it is amazing that people refuse to give him his due when he plays well. He is not perfect by any means, but he has stepped in well this season for Allen, who will eventually win back his starting job.